There's a bag of top-notch Third-Wave coffee beans on your kitchen counter. You've figured out which brewing method you prefer—and you've learned how to use your brewing gear, too. There's nothing left to do but start making your first cup, right?

Fact is, if you're putting in the effort to make truly great coffee at home, you'll probably want to score a few more pieces of gear to round out your brewing arsenal. All three of these tools will make terrific coffee even better.

Let's get this one out of the way—the most important gear purchase you'll make is a grinder. The quality of the beans you buy means nothing if they're hacked to unevenly sized little bits in a cheap blade spice grinder (you know, the kind that everyone usually tells you is "just fine" for grinding coffee. Unevenly sized coffee bits tend to lead to a weak (or even bitter) brew. What you're looking for is a burr grinder—a device the beans run through just once to create a consistent grind. It's tough to beat the price or the quality of Baratza's Encore model. With over 40 grind settings, you'll be able to fine-tune your grind consistency to whatever specs you want, from superfine (espresso) to coarse-as-can-be (French Press). Plus, the Encore just feels sturdy. It's not a flimsy piece of plastic that will move across your kitchen counter every time you turn it on.

"But," you say, "that thing is huge." If you're looking for an on-the-go grinder option that also happen to be a heck of a lot cheaper, look no further than Hario's Ceramic Mill Coffee Skerton. At just $30, it's a suitcase or backpack-friendly conical burr grinder that's friendly on the wallet. The only drawback is that it's manually operated, so your morning coffee will require a bit more elbow grease.

You probably already have a tea kettle sitting on your kitchen stove. And while you can get away with using it to make pour-over coffee, it's less than ideal—you don't have much control of the pour with those wide spouts. For truly great pour-over coffee, you'll want a kettle that sports a thin, curved, "gooseneck" spout. This ensures that you'll get a consistent stream of water that will saturate those high-priced coffee grounds evenly, rather than splashing all over the place. Why do you care about even saturation? It also helps ensure your coffee won't end up weak or bitter.

Now, here's where things get a little fussy. If you're looking to brew coffee using a method that requires a bit more precision, like the Chemex, a scale like the Hario can weigh beans (and water) and also track the amount of time it takes to brew will help you avoid over- or under-extraction. Too fussy for you? Then just skip the scale go with a more forgiving method, like the Bee House pour-over.